Neighbor
by SavingSanityOrLosingIt
Summary: She had taken flight, and he was staggering in her steps. But a smile like that is not one you easily forget, especially when its so close to home. Alphabetshipping.


**This is a quick little drabble that I felt like writing. I just like this ship and wanted to help contribute!**

He'd been in Kiloude City for ages, it seemed. Or was it really Kiloude City? No, he hadn't been there that long; he'd been away from _home_ for ages. His eyes were tired, looking like he'd been travelling for ages. He had in a sense, but he'd been stationary for a while now. But his soul was never at rest, never pleased.

_She beat me, and then again, and again. Then she became champion and beat me again. When will she come again?_

He had given up hope by now of beating her by now, of ever being her equal in battle. He had become powerful, but not like her.

Was it because he distanced himself from the rest of them? Did she still see Shauna? Tierno? Trevor? Or was she too busy with her champion duties for them, too?

Champion, she was. Everything about her screamed Champion. It was what she was born for, many people believed. She was charismatic, beautiful, charming, and above all, she was _powerful._

He hated that. He hated listening to people talk about her. He hated how she always managed to have a smile on her face, and how she always managed to spread that joy to others, how _easy_ it was to just be happy around her.

And he knew exactly why he hated that.

He hated that because it made him love her. He loved her, and he had no idea how it snuck up on him, and then hit him like a freight train. He remembers last saw her, celebrating with everyone else after she had become Champion and saved the world, when Professor Sycamore gave him a pass to Kiloude City. He went there right away, alone with his thoughts and feelings, both centered on Serena. He remembered staring in the pond in the middle of the city, and there she was, standing before him. He had so many things he wanted to say, but just how did he communicate it? So he just said the first thing he could, that she would expect him to say, without suspecting any sort of emotional turmoil happening inside of him.

_Would you like to battle?_

Oh, he felt stupid! But Serena just smiled at him and accepted, already reaching for her first pokeball. And he smiled back and did the same.

But that was a time ago. Now Serena had been off somewhere, away from Kiloude. _Away from him. _Calem's Meowstic glanced at him as he sat up in his bed. Calem offered it a small smile, but the pokemon frowned, seeing through the façade easily.

The trainer stood from the bed and quickly dressed. All of his things were neatly packed from the night before as he planned on not staying for very long in the morning. In the course of a few minutes, he was already checked out of the hotel and walking through the door, the warm breeze of Kiloude greeting him and the sun hanging low in the sky. It was a nice day, and no hurry. Maybe he'd walk his way home instead of riding Altaria.

The train station was scarcely crowded, and the train leaving for Lumiose was scheduled to take off in an hour, so Calem lingered, grabbing a bite to eat at a snack bar designed to lure in waiting people at the station. He let his pokemon out to eat too before the train finally arrived and he boarded it solemnly.

There weren't many people riding with him, and he was relieved it wasn't packed tight. He might've been stuck next to someone rather chatty and frankly, he wasn't in the mood to talk right now. Instead he watched the trees and fields pass the train windows in a flash as he thought about her.

_Serena._

Sure, when he first met her, he thought she was pretty. But now, as he thought about her, all he could say was absolutely beautiful. But she was a lot of things.

_But she isn't mine._

He chuckled quietly in spite of himself. It was true. She was Sycamore's pupil, Lysandre's downfall, Shauna's best friend, Kalos' hero… But she was not _his_ Serena. What was he to her, he wondered. Her rival? Hardly. Rivals had competition. There was no competition between them.

The train ride seemed far too short, as it slowed into the station, a voice ringing through the carts to tell the passengers not to stand until the train reached a complete stop. Calem unboarded quickly and left the station and dispersed in the Lumiose traffic.

Calem passed the gates of Vaniville town by nightfall. The familiar glow of the houses brought a sense to comfort to him, and he was relieved to finally be home, ready to lay in his bed and sleep and wake up to a freshly made breakfast.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the other person nearby, until their voice pierced the silence.

"Calem?"

He froze, before turning towards the voice and seeing the exact person who had been causing his brain to be a confusing, infuriating mess of emotions.

Serena peered through the darkness at him, before a smile settled its way onto her face. If Calem wasn't so surprised at seeing her, he would've noted how easy she smiled. "Calem!" She repeated, before she ran towards him, and he almost gasped when her arms wound around him tight.

He stood in her embrace stiffly, before finally relaxing and reaching up to wrap his arms around her shoulders. Oh, did her hair smell good... "Hey, neighbor." He smiled—and not one of the smiles he'd give his pokemon in hopes to get them to stop worrying over him. It was a genuine, happy smile.

The embrace broke and she smiled widely at him. "Oh Calem—I haven't seen you in ages!"

I know, he wanted to say, but instead he managed to nod and agree with her, he couldn't think of what else to say. In this moment all he could do was smile and just bask in her presence.

_I love you, Serena._

Her eyes were warm, a golden honey he'd never forget. He didn't want to forget, anyways. She smiled at him, and he couldn't help but to mirror her grin. "Oh, I've been so busy lately! I've missed you! It's been stressful lately, but I'm finally free and…" She trailed off, seeming to be lost in thought before finally she seemed to light up with an idea, her hand springing towards his to clasp around it. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. "Calem, would you like to hang out tomorrow? We can go to Aquacorde or just have a lazy day around here, or… I don't know!"

How could he even think to say no? Without much hesitation he agreed, and was rewarded with another brilliant smile from Serena, before she mentioned how her mother must be wondering where she was and needed to head inside.

"Goodnight Serena," Calem called after her, her warmth still lingering around him, even after she was walking away.

"Goodnight Calem," She responded, before she was gone.

Calem stood there for a moment, before continuing on his walk home, but this time, he had a smile on his face.


End file.
